Arrive in Paris

I am right now sitting in the small but very cute apartment of the Charvets, my second home exchange.  After the first place was so bare-bones and somewhat dirty, this one looks like a real family lives here.

Even better, this is the view out the window.

Tres Parisien n'est-ce pas?

 Getting here was kind of a trial.

I got up very early on Sunday morning to make the 9:15 train from Brighton to St. Pancras station in London, the place where the Eurostar train to Paris originates.  The 9:15 was to take me to the station by 10:30 for the 11:31 train.  Now you might think that getting there an hour before the train leaves--from the same station-- would be enough for me--and it might have been, but I was concerned about getting from my house to the train station in Brighton. I left the flat at 7:45AM thinking that would get me there in plenty of time.  But when I got to the bus stop, it indicated that the bus would not be there until 8:30AM.  Now that would still be plenty of time, but freaky as I am about being early, I decided to take a cab that came by and I was at the station by 8AM.  Once I had gotten my tea and pastry, I realized that there was a train to St. Pancras at 8:10AM.  I immediately got on and for the first half hour, when there was absolutely no announcements on the train, I was scared I had gotten on the wrong one.

That was because when I bought my ticket a couple of days before, the person at the ticket desk had told me there were no direct trains  between 6:40AM and 9:15AM, so how could I be on the 8:10?  In my mind, the answer might be in the "direct" part. Maybe I had to change somewhere, but no one was telling me where and when.  But after the fifth stop or so, announcements started that indicated the train would stop at Saint Pancras.  So I relaxed--as much as I can when I am traveling.

The Eurostar is such a wonderful train.  So quick and smooth.  You are only under the channel for about 20 minutes.  And you arrive in Paris in about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

My instructions from my exchange partner were to pick up the key to the apartment at a nearby friend's place.  After some initial confusion, I found the building.  I called him and he came down with the key.  I must have looked a fright to him.  A 64-year-old woman with a huge backpack and pull suitcase, and a large pocketbook walking around Paris not knowing any of the language.  He was so nice, he called me later to make sure I got to the apartment.

Perhaps he was concerned because it turned out to be a fifth-floor walk-up.  You arrive at #6 rue de la Grange aux Belles (which means the street of the beautiful barn) and see a big door.  I had been given the code to get past that and I entered a courtyard.

 Then it was up the four flights of stairs.

It took me a while with my heavy bags but I made it.  Then I had to go down to get something to eat from the grocery store.  This is what I passed by just half a block from the apartment.

The canal St Martin is a working canal, with locks and roads that swing around to let passing boats--I'm thinking mostly tourist boats--go by.

Here is one such boat waiting for the road to get out of the way.

When I got back to the flat I pretty much collapsed.  Paris is one hour ahead of Brighton, so when it was 9PM last night, it was really 8PM my time.  I didn't care.  I went to sleep and other than an hour or so in the middle of the night when I was awake, I slept until about 7:45 this morning.

Tomorrow Ada and Meredith arrive and we will begin to do some real touristing, but for today I went to the main tourist office and got some travel passes for us all.  (Even the people who work for the Pairs tourist office are very blunt and condescending. )  Then I went to the Tuileries gardens in front of the Louvre.

The flowers were very pretty but I did notice something new--or at least something that I had not seen before.

I guess after the success of the London Eye, every city has to have one.

But here's something that I don't think London has--goats keeping the grass in check.

I went to the Left Bank for some lunch and sat in this cafe in front of a Metro station with what looked like a very well-dressed, well-coiffed man begging.  While I was there, I did not see one person give him any money.

Paris is just beautiful, just about everywhere.

I'm not sure if this ship is a regular feature or there for some special occasion.

I crossed over the Seine and came across this statue of King Henry (IV, I think).  Tell me he does not look French.

I walked by these buildings in the Dauphine Square nearby and wondered just who lives in that top floor--and surely they must have a lift.

I passed by the Notre Dame Cathedral and there was a big grandstand in front of it--the first time I have seen that. It looks like 2013 is the building's 850th birthday and there was, will be or will continue to be some festivities in front.

With the vantage point of the top of the grandstand I noticed for the first time that there are three figures in front of the rose window on the outside.

By then my dogs were barking again, so I came home, made one more trip to the grocery in anticipation of the arrival of my traveling companions in the AM and sat down to write this blog.